


Gifted, Bucky Style

by TyJax_EeOwen



Category: Captain America (Movies), Gifted (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Is So Done, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Bucky In Place Of Bonnie, Clips, Drinking, Drinking Games, M/M, Making Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scene By Scene, Scene Re-Writes, Slow Build, Stucky - Freeform, Universal Stucky, gifted, what should have happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-07 19:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12239217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyJax_EeOwen/pseuds/TyJax_EeOwen
Summary: “Whoa, hang on, that’s the dad?” Bucky turned his gaze away from the man taking his little girl away to stare at Tony Stark, the teacher and self-proclaimed genius of science and engineering. “I know him. I’ve seen him at Ferg's almost every Friday night. He’s the quiet, damaged, hot guy,” Bucky took a moment to think about what he said about the man, but his mind immediately decided to ask something else.“What’re you doing at Ferg's every Friday night? I thought you were usually at those stuck-up parties with Banner and all the other guys that think they’re better than everyone else,” he quirked a brow at him and stared before turning back to the guy and the girl as they headed for the doors.“Well, you thought wrong, Terminator,”[Or the one where Bucky is in Bonnie place in the movie because STUCKY is better]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xWinter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xWinter/gifts).



“Whoa, hang on, that’s the dad?” Bucky turned his gaze away from the man taking his little girl away to stare at Tony Stark, the teacher and self-proclaimed genius of science and engineering. “I know him. I’ve seen him at Ferg's almost every Friday night. He’s the quiet, damaged, hot guy,” Bucky took a moment to think about what he said about the man, but his mind immediately decided to ask something else.

“What’re you doing at Ferg's every Friday night? I thought you were usually at those stuck-up parties with Banner and all the other guys that think they’re better than everyone else,” he quirked a brow at him and stared before turning back to the guy and the girl as they headed for the doors.

“Well, you thought wrong, Terminator,” Stark batted his metal prosthetic casually when he used the nickname. “And to answer your question? Tryin’ ta get picked up by him,” Stark gestured towards them and turned to leave. Bucky bit his lip, thinking for a moment. And the man being that attractive aside, he was interested. Not in the sense of dating. He meant the girl. She was so smart for her age and Bucky wanted to know if the guy knew. And if so, if he’d talk to him about it. It was so rare to meet someone like her and it was definitely the first time Bucky had had someone like her in his class.

He watched as they stepped out through the doors of the building and Bucky decided to take his chance. He strode away from his classroom and followed after them, jogging and manoeuvring around a few kids to catch up to them.

“Excuse me?” he called as he stepped through the doors, still following. They hadn’t actually gotten far they were about more than halfway to the road. “Hey,” he called again, noticing when they both looked around and saw him. They didn’t look happy, or really-... the guy looked indifferent. The kid though-.

“ _ Oh look, it’s my teacher…Probably wants to remind me what one plus one is _ ,” Bucky still wasn’t a fan of her attitude, but he wasn’t going to reprimand her. That wasn’t his place right then and there and he was there for a different reason.

“Go to the car, g’on,” he heard the man instructed to her and he watched as the girl headed for a truck about two car spaces down. He got closer and stopped only a few feet in front of him, now actually seeing that he was pretty attractive. There was no wonder that Stark had been after him. He was his type, Bucky’s too, but he wouldn’t go there.

“Hey,” he greeted simply, no smile or timidness or anything of the like. He only ever smiled at the kids, when they did something that warranted a smile from him. So kids were the only reason he actually smiled. 

He tried to surround himself in what made him happy after he’d come back from Afghanistan when he’d lost his arm. He taught the kids there and the school was bombed. He’d lost a limb trying to protect them. He was glad that Tony’s father, Howard knew how to make great prosthetics.

“Hey,” the guy turned completely around when he was only a few feet away and they reached out about the same time to shake hands politely in greeting. His was warm, callused like he was a hard labour man. With his side and muscle, it wouldn’t surprise Bucky if he worked with heavy lifting. He saw the way he took a quick glance towards his other arm, but he said nothing when he looked back up, seeming to have not really registered it or was just being casually polite and not pointing it out like so many others did.

“Sorry to yell at you and chase you down,” Bucky let go of his hand and crossed his arms, feeling the warm metal lace with his fleshed arm. The guy seemed to actually not take notice of it now, which he was thankful for. One look and he seemed to just be okay with it.

“It’s okay. You’re Mary’s teacher?” he asked impassively. His voice was nice to listen to. Deep, smooth but with a gritty undertone. He actually reminded him of a guy he knew back in Afghanistan when he was a kid.

“Yeah, I’m James Barnes. Everyone calls me Bucky,” except Tony, who insisted on calling him every nickname known to man that had any relation to a robot or cyborg. 

“Frank. How are you? I’m sorry about today. I heard she got a little… overexcited,” overexcited? That wasn’t excitement, that was for sure. She literally yelled at the principal to call her uncle and get her out of there. She was having a teenage meltdown at seven years old. He wouldn’t say that out loud, obviously.

“Yeah, sure no problem,” he shrugged it off, arms still crossed as he watched the guy. He seemed completely calm and passive, but there was something in the way he stood. His posture was fine, laid back almost, but there was something there. He'd seen it in a few of the older guys back in Afghan. He was guarded, wanted nothing more than to keep to himself.

“We’re runnin’ a little late actually. Gotta get goin’,” and that only confirmed it. He didn’t want to be there talking to him or be there in general. Bucky would make this fast then. He didn’t want to keep the man that long and didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable.

“Okay, look… I don’t even want to talk about that. I’ll just keep you a minute,” probably not even that if this went smoothly. “It’s about Mary. I think she’s gifted,” he shrugged with his blunt reply. It was fast and simple, easy to understand, though ‘gifted’ was a cliche word, it was the only one he could think of that sounded less like ‘your child is special’ and not in a good way, but a way that would make the adults feel insulted.

“What?” Frank sounded more confused than anything else, so his choice of word was good at least.

“Today in math, she answered some really-,” before he even finished his sentence, it looked like the guy clicked to what he was talking about because he made a few attempts to interrupt before actually stopping him.

“No- no, no,” he raised a hand as if to stop him from talking to and to Bucky’s chagrin, he did. He closed his mouth and watched him, waiting and standing there expectantly. “It’s Trachtenberg,” and at that, he gave him a quirked brow, staring at him with confusion and in need of some kind of elaboration. He could see that Frank saw his blank stare, blinking some with no response. “Jakow Trachtenberg,”

“What’s that?” he replied flatly, still looking at him with a quirked brow and he swore he saw a fraction of a tug at the corner of Frank’s lips. A reaction to what? He had no clue, but it was there and he saw it.

“He spent seven years in a Nazi concentration camp, developed a system to rapidly solve problems,” a mathematical solution then? A way to solve math problems fast and easy. That sounded vaguely impossible, and that was coming from a man that taught maths to kids and a few teen classes when he had to. “It’s the Trachtenberg method,” Bucky stood there silent for a few moments, staring at the guy with a completely blank expression, unreadable and he let out a quiet breath through his nose.

“But she’s… seven,” a kid at her age wouldn’t be able to pick something up and immediately be able to solve problems as big as the ones that he gave her that morning. It was like she only needed a few seconds and BAM, she had them. Hell, he wouldn’t have given them to the teens he taught on Thursdays.

“I learned it when I was eight,” Frank smiled as he took a step back towards the road, though he could tell it was forced. “Do I look gifted to you?” with that face and body… maybe. Bucky cleared his throat and ran a hand over his jawline for a second, trying to rid himself of that thought immediately. “Kinda gone out of vogue since the invention of the calculator. But, uh, I can still win a drink at a bar using it,” Frank started heading towards his car, turning away from him, but looking over his shoulder as he actually reached the hood. “Sorry for today, won’t happen again,”

“Okay,” he called back as flatly as ever, not really satisfied by this conversation at all. He’d definitely look up this Trachtenberg method later. Maybe he could use it to help Mary out. He could give her some harder questions during tests and lessons. At least then, she would actually put a small bit of effort in instead of mouthing off or pointing out the obvious answer to the other kids. Plus, it would help Bucky gauge where she was at in her mathematics level.

“Nice to meet you, Bucky,” the guy called before getting into his truck and Bucky just lazily waved and stood at the sidewalk.

“Frank,” he said back before the engine started and he started pulling away from the curb.


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky strode up into the bar, stepping through the threshold in what he considered to be casual neat wear. A black, long sleeve with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his arms in plain view for anyone to really see. A pair of Black doctor martens and faded dark grey jeans that folded over his boots because of the long length. His hair was also up in a band he’d found lying around his apartment. He actually had a lot of them. They just seemed to go missing.

He glanced around as he stepped further into the building, hands in his pockets and he was glad that most of the people inside seemed too focused on whatever they were doing to actually take any notice of him. He was there for a reason and he knew that every Friday he was here, thanks to Stark.

The war vet strode around, looking at the tables and the bars for any sign of the guy. It was only a few minutes later and he thought he saw him sitting at a table alone, drink in hand. Bucky immediately headed over, rounding a few people to actually reach him.

Bucky stopped behind him and reached out, lifting his normal arm to pat him to get his attention. The guy looked up from his drink and stared at him.

“Know who I am?” he then un-pocketed his hands to cross his arms over his chest, showing clear signs that he wasn’t entirely happy. The guy lied to him about that speedy method to solve equations and he hid the actual truth from him about the little girl.

“Hey…” Frank turned his body towards Bucky and he fought to not eye him over. He was attractive, very much so, but this seriously wasn’t the time. “Mary’s teacher….” he seemed to be in thought, dropping his head as he stretched out the word  _ teacher. _ “Bucky?-,”

“Bucky,” he confirmed, cutting in right at the end of his sentence. He clenched his jaw, seeing the lazy smile that was on the man’s face. It suited him, made him seem relaxed. He didn’t really want to ruin that, but he needed answers.“You lied to me,” he added quietly, but firmly, a solid statement and Frank didn’t actually seem bothered. His smile was still there and his brow twitched.

“Okay… Can you narrow it down?” the way he asked that made it sound like they were playing a game or something like he was playing with him. Though he was serious about narrowing it down. He didn’t seem to pinpoint what Bucky was talking about.

“The truth about Mary, my student. Your niece,” he put it simply, his eyes still focused on his face. He then saw the smile drop into a thin line, like he thought that he should’ve expected this coming his way. He was silent for a moment, a sigh coming out through his nose.

“...ah,” he muttered after a moment.

\--------------------

“I was running ridiculously late for a date and my sister showed up with Mary, and she never just showed up unannounced. She never showed up with a baby,” Frank explained as he stared down at the high-level math equations and answers that Bucky had had Mary answer while in class that very morning. He stayed quiet, only listening to him and refraining from jumping in with a comment. “She said she wanted ta talk-... she said she  _ needed _ ta talk. I told her I’d talk to her when I got back. I think I figured showing up that late to my date would hurt my chances of gettin’ laid,” the way he said the last sentence, it sounded like he regretted it, was disappointed with himself.

“Came home that night and Mary was on the couch, found Diane on the bathroom floor. I mean there’s no way I coulda known, but… I shoulda known,” Frank had looked up from the paper, staring at him with a less happy expression than when he first appeared in the bar and walked up to him. He clearly felt horrible and seemed to hate himself for all of this and Bucky wished that he hadn’t actually brought any of this up. It was hurting the man to explain and he could see that. “Six and a half years later, me and Mary are still hanging out,” Frank took a swig of his beer, a sudden thought coming to mind and Bucky hesitated on actually asking about it.

“What... about the old man? Her father?” Bucky leaned back in his chair, a beer in his own hand and he took a swig himself, watching the way Frank scoffed and placed his beer back on the table. He either didn’t like the father or he just didn’t give a rats ass about him.

“Diane was so socially awkward she didn’t date enough to know a good guy from a bad guy. This particular guy didn’t last a month,” he scoffed again and Bucky could understand why. He’d dated a few guys and most of them turned out to be douchebags or a waste of time because they were bad news. There was also that time that he was seriously ragged on by one ex, Brock Rumlow. But that was only because Brock’s friend hated Bucky and he snuck between them and continuously started fights. Jack Rollins? Pretty sure that was his name. 

“No grandparents?” Bucky then asked, getting back into the conversation instead of dwelling on his shitty relationship experience. They were all bad up until he went to war and after that, he didn’t really attempt trying to get into any other relationship because of his arm. He felt like it limited him. Though besides all that, he didn’t really feel like he needed a relationship.

… he was internally babbling again...

“Dad died when I was eight. My Mom…” he scoffed again after seeming to just mention the word ‘mom’. It made him think that there was some bad blood between them like they weren’t on good terms or maybe Frank had just had enough of her or something. “Short version is, she turned her back on Diane when she got pregnant,” his tone had deepened some, a tad grittier than before and it only really confirmed that from Frank’s point of view, he didn’t like her.

“Why?” he shook his head in question. In his opinion, there was no reason to turn your back on someone just because they got pregnant. Bucky would never do that to his own sister if he had one and he couldn’t imagine doing that to his child if he ever had one in the future. Though the chances of that were slim.

“Didn’t fit into her plan,” he answered flatly and without a beat. It was a simple answer then and Bucky could see that Frank thought badly of the woman for doing so. Bucky didn’t know anyone who could actually be that cruel, none of the mothers he knew from school and definitely none of the women he called friends.

“I don’t even know her and I already don’t like her,” Bucky muttered before taking a longer swig of his drink. He saw and heard the bark of laughter that left the man, seeing the smile on his lips as he looked up at him, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe that he said it.

“You and me both,” he replied, a breathy laugh leaving him before he seemed to pause the laughing to continue the explanation. “She’s an exacting woman, my mother. Uncompromising. Very British,” Frank took a sip of his drink after the flat description at the very end of the sentence.

“Are we talking like… british in demeanour? Or… from England?” Frank cut in a few times during his question, like he’d attempted answering it as he was talking, but continuously cut himself off because Bucky had been speaking.

“No, she’s from England, yeah,” he finally said after Bucky finished. There was a moment of silence where they both drank their beers, the silence taking over before Bucky placed his beer down and re-crossed his arms.

“So Mary’s really a genius,” he stated, looking back up to Frank and noticing the way he was being stared at. It was odd, he seemed to be thinking while looking him over, but only staring from the shoulders and up.

“She is,” the silence was back for a moment and Bucky reached out for what was left of his beer, taking the last swig of it. “-Like your hair like that,” he immediately inhaled the beer and nearly, choked, coughing lightly before putting the bottle down and staring at Frank.

“What?” he made sure that his tone hadn’t been incredulous. It was a simple ‘what’, soft, casual.

“Your hair. I like it like that. Prefer it loose, but… it’s nice tied up,” wow. That was-... Bucky cleared his throat and brushed his mouth with his hand, taking away the beer that had leaked as he’d coughed.

“Thanks, I guess,” Bucky self-consciously reached a hand up and dragged a few loose strand behind his ear, not really being aware that he’d done it before leaning forward against the table, arms crossing over it. There was a sort of smirk like smile on Franks' lips and Bucky really didn’t know how to take that, he wasn’t sure what he was thinking. He was just smirking and staring.

“N'aww,” Bucky internally huffed when he heard Tony’s voice from over his shoulders. “Look at you love birds,” he glanced up as he passed by the gradually emptying bar, seeing the telltale grin on his face that he would be taking advantage in messing with Bucky after catching them together at the bar.

“Shut your mouth, Stark,” he sassed back, clearly replying his usual  _ I’ve had enough of your shit _ tone.

“Or what,  _ Bucky-boo-bear? _ You gonna punch me with that metal fist?” yes. He definitely was going to after saying that stupid name he gave him. He could tolerate the reference nicknames, like Terminator and Robocop, but Bucky-boo-bear was a name he wanted to physically burn alive.

“Tempted,” he replied sharply, a frown on his features while he stared at Stark who was standing at the bar, a few feet away from them and he seemed as smug as ever.

“Bucky-boo-bear?-” as soon as Frank repeated the name, he cut him off.

“Shut up,” only a mere second of silence and Frank spluttered his beer, laughing and trying to hold it back, failing completely.


	3. Chapter 3

Bucky was walking into the same bar, wearing the same clothes and hairstyle and found who he was looking for at the same table he’d found him at the last time. He stopped a couple of feet away, maybe a little hesitant before actually forcing himself to move and talk.

He finally stepped closer and then leaned against the table beside Frank, forearms crossed over the wood while he eyed the dejected man with his own apologetic expression. He couldn’t imagine what the guy was going through. He didn’t have any kids of his own. He was happy with the kids he had in his classes every day.

He stood there for a few moments in silence with him and he was sure that Frank knew he was there. Bucky knew that he could see if not feel his presence there, regardless of if he actually knew it was Bucky or not. But he continued to stand there, watching him closely and just listening to the laughter and chatter around them while Frank drank his beer.

He wouldn’t say it was a really comfortable silence. Bucky had shown up so that they could talk and he’d expected to talk. He liked peaceful silence as much as the next guy, but he wasn’t there for that.

“Hey,” Bucky started quietly, his voice soft and gentle like he didn’t actually want to disturb the silence that had spread around and between them. He saw that it drew Frank’s attention. He slowly turned his head towards Bucky and Bucky watched him closely, making sure that he seemed open and inviting rather than giving off that he pitied him in any way. He knew that a man like Frank didn’t like it and he was sure that he’d close up if he saw any sign of it on Bucky.

“Hey,” the man replied, his voice dull, flat, dejected and grim. It almost seemed like he was giving up, the tone sounded resigned. It didn’t suit him and Bucky didn’t like the sound of it on Frank. He wanted to cheer him up, in any way that he could. He wanted to take away the pain that was clearly there.

“I heard Davis bragging about a custody case and then I found out whose…” he babbled shortly before shutting himself up, pausing to gauge his demeanour. He sighed and moved to sit in the seat beside him, catching his attention further. “Just to be clear, I didn’t say anything after we talked,” he tried to reassure.

“I know,” Frank replied after a pause and Bucky gave a silent nod, a sign that he acknowledged him and he then just stood there for a moment, watching him in case there was anything else before sighing to himself. “My lawyer told me to get drunk,” Frank added and Bucky quirked a brow at him, eyeing him, the drink in his hand and then back at him, noting that Frank was staring.

Bucky wasn’t sure if that was any kind of hint or sign that he wanted Bucky to stay, but he’d take it as one, and besides… Bucky knew how to get drunk, wasted even.

“And you’re trying to do it with that?” his brow quirked higher and he saw the way Frank glanced at his drink in thought before turning back to him.

\--------------------

There were shot glasses, three lined up in front of both of them. Frank had two overturned and Bucky had one. They both had some variation of a smile on their faces and Bucky was relaxed back into the high chairs they were sat on, Frank leaning against the table, arms crossed.

“Right, okay. My turn,” Bucky cleared his throat of the strong whisky, having the taste lingering after he’d lost a round two rounds ago. It was really damn strong. “Who’s your favourite Marvel Superhero?” he had to ask something like that. Bucky was a big Hero fan at heart. He grew up reading a lot of comics and heard about all the movies that came out. He’d binged a lot of them during the time between getting back and now. It was like his childhood came back to him.

“You know what Marvel is?” Frank actually seemed surprised at this and Bucky stared at him, giving him a faked incredulous expression before forcing himself forward to lean against the table, metal forearms resting against the wood and the other resting against his thigh.

“Guilty pleasure,” was all he replied with, his hand reaching up to draw a few strands of loose hair behind his ear. He could see the bemusement on his face and assumed that he began thinking of an answer.

“Okay… I’ll go with~... Captain America,” he grinned, looking away from his drink and towards Bucky. They both grinned and Bucky assumed that he may know why he chose that character. Or one of the reasons he chose that character. Chris Evans, the guy that played the Captain looked exactly like Frank and vice versa.

“Steve Rogers, huh?” Bucky grinned at him, seeing the bemusement grow in the other man, a laugh leaving him.

“Yeah, I mean-... I feel like he’s a badass, even with the whole ‘Innocent Brooklyn guy with superpowers’ thing he has going,” he completely avoided the actual reason and Bucky knew it. He saw a tell, an evade in his face and Bucky was definitely going to call him out on that.

“So it’s not the fact that you could actually be his twin brother or something?” a bark of laughter left Frank, the bartender glancing over for a few seconds and then looking away. Bucky actually liked that sound, Frank laughing. It was a nice change from the usual avoiding and neutral stare that he’d gotten up until now.

“No-.... yes, that’s why I like him. We look identical,” he immediately rephrased, watching him with a wide grin and Bucky returned it, leaning more against the table crossing his own arms over it.

“You know what, I like him too,” he did. Captain America was badass, but Bucky was a fan of that anti-hero, the Winter Soldier. It was a really sad story, though exciting. He was so drawn to the character and he wasn’t sure why.

“See?” Bucky returned his attention to him in time to see him lift his arm and raise a hand for a high five, to which Bucky accepted and didn’t leave him hanging.

“Okay, uhhh…. Worst part about your job and why,” Bucky then tightened his smile, actually wanting to answer something else. He liked his job, it was really fun, but it could get daunting and irritating at times.

“What? No, I love my job,” he evaded, glancing down and shaking his head lightly with a smile. He glanced back up to see Frank staring at him, in clear disbelief that there was nothing in Bucky’s job that he didn’t like about it.

“I don’t believe you, at all. Not for a second,” and he voiced the thoughts. Bucky went to open his mouth and then shook his head again.

“No, I mean… I love my job,” there were a few seconds of a lingering stare where Bucky actually shifted in his seat from the stare Frank gave him. It wasn’t uncomfortable, it was more to do with the fact that he was actually eyeing him over, his face and he didn’t _not_ like it. “Yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and just drink,” Bucky broke the silence and reached out for a whisky shot.

“Yeah, let’s keep this honest,” Bucky swallowed and then turned the shot glass upside down, clearing his throat right after. “So?” Frank questioned him. Bucky huffed a grin and turned to look at him, deciding to be honest about it.

“The mom’s,” was his simple and short answer, noticing the way that Frank actually raised his brows like he hadn’t expected that answer at all. Maybe he thought it was something like his pain in the ass coworker, Stark.

“The moms? What, they try hounding you or something?” more than just hounding. Bucky reached out and grabbed his beer, taking a long swig of it. They hadn’t made a rule that they could drink a beer between all of this. The shots were for the game they were playing.

“They try to get close, flirt, cop a feel and ask me out every chance they get,” and then some. He’d only mentioned a few of the things they did. There’d actually been a few times where one of the mothers appeared at his front door and that was a huge violation of his privacy.

“Doesn't sound so bad,” Frank laughed a little and drank from his own. Bucky only stared with a lazy smile, a brow quirked.

“It is when you’re gay and you have to keep telling them that you’re gay and that they have no chance,” Bucky explained with a drunk huff at the end. He drank his beer again and then turned to look at Frank, noticing that he was staring again, and this time, it was with a look that clearly showed that he didn’t actually expect that. He was surprised that Bucky was gay?

“You like guys,” it sounded like more of a statement than a question and he nodded along with it, giving him a serious stare.

“Yeah, I like guys,” there was silence for a good few seconds, where it looked like Frank was in thought, but then he lifted both hands as if to say that he wasn’t against any of it. There was a smile still on his face and it drew Bucky’s smile back.

“Alright. Your turn,” Frank gestured, still watching him and Bucky nodded again, thinking for a moment. He had a few questions, but there was a new one at the front of his mind, on the tip of his tongue and he really wanted to know because of the recently gained knowledge that Frank had no qualms against gay guys. He bit his lip and then glanced up at him.

“Have you ever slept with another man?” he asked seriously, no smile on his face this time. He really wanted to know. Bucky saw the gaze Frank gave him at that like he’d expected something like that after the confession.

“No, can’t say that I have,” there was a smile on Frank’s face when he answered like he knew something or was expecting something more.

“Would you like to?” Bucky then asked and he saw the way that Frank gravitated a bit closer, arms shifting a little on the wooden table.

“That’s two questions,”

“D’you really care?” Bucky replied straight after, watching the man’s smile grow into a mischievous smirk and his own followed, hoping that this wouldn’t get in the way of anything. There was a rule about teacher sleeping with the guardian’s of the kids they taught, but only so that their personal life and professional one wouldn’t conflict, and Bucky knew how to keep them separate. He’d been doing that for years.

“.... No,”

\--------------------

Bucky felt his back press against the door to Frank’s bedroom, his mind reeling while the man attacked his mouth with his own. He rested his hands against his chest, gripping at his shirt and then the door was opened, Frank stepping them back into the room and then he was shoved back. He landed on the mattress, panting lightly and then Frank was above him, a knee between his thighs and he grinned, smiling as the kiss was back on.

He raised an arm up, lacing the flesh one under Frank’s arm to rest his hand against his shoulder-blade while the other just rested against Frank’s side, his metal hand simply touching him.

“Just to be clear, Roberta has Mary every Saturday ‘til noon,” Frank pulled back to say and then dived back in, shifting until both knees were between his thigh, forcing his legs up and apart so that he could fit there. Bucky honestly couldn’t think of anything to do with the kids he taught. He could barely even think of a reply what with the position they were in.

Bucky felt a hand at his waist, fingers slipping under the waist of his shirt and then raising, a warm palm pressing against his skin. The other hand joined in and soon, his shirt was being lifted, being tugged further up his body. He became hesitant at that and as soon as his chest was bared and the shirt was being dragged up his arms and then was tossed to the floor, he glanced away, staring over Frank’s shoulder at the ceiling.

Frank was staring at him, but not at his arm. He’d glanced at it a few times, just eyeing it over quickly, but nothing was said, nothing. Not a word. There were no words about where his torn skin was practically fused with the very edges of the metal so that nothing could get inside and mess with the metal nerves that were connected to the flesh ones.

Nothing.

Instead, Frank returned their lips and Bucky panted. He felt a huge burst of warmth in his chest because Frank hadn’t been detoured or wasn’t disgusted. He didn’t get up from the bed and kick him out.

Bucky was grinning to the point that the kiss nearly broke and just as Frank pulled his lips away, Bucky carefully flipped them so that he was on top, grinning down at him while straddling his hips, sitting there and staring down. When Frank gripped at his hips, he leaned down, reconnecting their mouths and letting their tongues twist and melt together. He felt the fingers in his hair, tugging at the band that held his hair in a ponytail and then it was gone, a thick curtain of brown now framing his face and Franks.

The hands on his hips shifted further over his jeans until he felt the huge palms pressing against his ass, fingers digging into the fabric to grope and Bucky pressed closer to Frank, resting his bare chest and stomach against the other man as they continued to make out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guarantee that there will be a sex scene at the end because I don't want to leave this chapter like this.
> 
> So you'll be getting an extended scene right at the very end of this.


	4. Chapter 4

Bucky could feel the warmth around him, the heat generating from something physically against him and something else that reminded him of the sun coming through an open curtain. It made him stirr and he quietly groaned, burying his face into a pillow and shifting slightly before raising his arm up to cover his face. But he couldn’t really move. He was stuck.

The ex-soldier yawned widely and opened his eyes, blinking and then turning to face away from the light when it blinded him. He curled up under the blanket and felt a warm limb tighten around his waist and press closer against his back. It took a moment to think, a tired frown on his face, and then he recalled what happened and where he was.

He huffed a smirk and lifted his head, avoiding the sunlight to see Frank against him. He couldn’t actually  _ see _ him, but he did feel him, his face buried in the gap between his neck and shoulder. The metal shoulder. How that could be even remotely comfortable was beyond Bucky.

Speaking of comfortableness, Bucky wasn’t. His bladder needed to be emptied. He took a few moments to relax, letting Frank have a few more seconds of him there before Bucky decided to move, carefully, angling himself until he was on his back. That only made it seem more comfortable for the other man because he rested his head against his chest and his arm draped further over his lower waist under the sheets. And again, his head was still against the metal and he had no idea how he could sleep like that.

It made Bucky feel content though. At least Frank hadn’t freaked out about his arm or mentioned it. He only glanced at it like he took in the appearance and then looked at him, not the arm. So it seemed like he didn’t care about the fact that he had a messed up arm that was clearly Stark’s prosthetic design. He didn’t ask how he managed to get it or how he had any ties with the Billionaires, regardless of seeing him hang around with Tony, who was obviously Howards son. There was nothing said about any of it and he was so grateful for that. No questions, no caring about the oddities. It made him happy.

“Frank,” Bucky finally spoke up, his voice deep, gritty and filled with tiredness. He got a groan in return, Frank’s face buried in his chest and he felt the sound vibrate lightly. “I need to take a leak,” another groan was his response and a few stretched out seconds later, he felt him shift. His weight lifted from his chest and Bucky eyed him lazily as Frank turned over groggily, still groaning before stopping and going completely limp again. He probably fell back to sleep immediately. 

Bucky took that chance to force himself into a sitting position, sighing and frowning tiredly when he felt an uncomfortable ache in the lower half of his spine and ass. He remembered last night and he really wasn’t surprised that he was aching. It drew a smirk to his lips and he gave Frank’s form a glance before lifting his legs up and slipping them out from under the sheets, over the side of the bed. He grimaced softly at the aching and just tried to ignore it as he reached down and grabbed his underwear. 

He slipped them up his legs and then stood, pulling them up to his hips. Bucky continued to ignore the aching as he headed out of the room, using his flesh hand to balance himself as he left the room and headed for the bathroom. He was aware of the schedule that Frank had told him about last night, that Mary was with Roberta until noon today, but that didn’t stop him from peeking around corners to check. And all he really saw that had some semblance of life was a ‘dead to the world’ ginger cat sleeping on the sofa.

Bucky huffed bemusedly at the cat before slipping into the bathroom and going about his business of taking a leak. Once that was done and he flushed, he stepped over to the sink and stared into the mirror for a moment, quirking a brow at all the marks that were left on his skin. Dark bruises that Frank sucked into his tanned skin and the lighter bruises of where he’d been happily manhandled around the bed. He smirked and then washed up his hands, even the metal one since it was sealed and waterproof. He stared at the metal hand for a moment, eyeing it and letting a soft smile tugging at his lips. Frank didn’t mind it, didn’t even make a comment about it.

He probably didn’t even realize how much that meant to Bucky. It made him feel human, more human than anyone else bar for Stark had ever made him feel. Tony was different because he’d had a hand in making the arm too, but Frank… he actually treated him like a genuine human, regardless of being a limb short.

He laughed through his nose and then grabbed a towel to dry his hands, being fast about it, but thorough. He wanted to climb back into bed, still being tired and he was sure that he had a few hours before Mary would be coming back to the apartment. That gave him time to lounge around.

Bucky reached back and rubbed at the lower half of his spine before huffing and turning back towards the door to head back to the bedroom. He grabbed the handle and opened the door, stepping out into the hall just ahead of the kitchen. There was a split second of no thought before he saw the open door and Mary standing there-

“Jesus chri-,” he cut himself off, his heartbeat skipping fast and he panted for a moment in utter shock and surprise. 

Mary stood there, completely still and staring at him like she was processing. Only a few seconds and he saw the realization on her face, a smirk slowly growing across her face and he swallowed thickly, his body tensing and pressing back against the wall. His arms automatically tried covering what the could, his chest and arm mostly since his black thigh boxers covered what needed to be covered.

“Good morning, Mr Barnes,” a cold chill ran up his spine and spread through his veins when he saw the smug smirk and clear mischievous expression. He hesitated for a really long moment before forcing a smile.

“G’mornin’,” and then Bucky immediately turned the corner and headed back into the bedroom, where he saw that Frank had basically just woke up. He was lying there, leaning up on his elbows and staring as Bucky returned to the room. He wasn’t oblivious to the ogling as he headed over and sat down on the edge of the bed, facing Frank. He managed to hold back the wince. “Just saw Mary,” he rushed out.

“What? No, Roberta has her ‘til-,”

“Has her until noon, yeah,” Bucky stared at him expectantly after cutting him off. Frank stared back tiredly and then seemed to realize what Bucky meant. He forced himself further up on the bed.

“She saw you?” Frank started climbing out of bed, grabbing the closest pair of clothes that were clean, or relatively clean and started dressing. Bucky then followed, standing up, albeit a lot slower because his ass was still throbbing.

“She saw everything. Me in my underwear, stepping out of your bathroom. She said morning, I said it back and came straight here,” he explained as he started dressing himself, the clothes that had been stripped from him last night now being pulled and tugged on.

“Uh, okay uh… Look, I’ll call you a cab and pay for it,” guess the lounging around was cut short, great.

Bucky huffed to himself at that and tied his boots up, being quick about it. He finished and watched as Frank left the room to go call the cab. The soldier sat back down for a moment and dropped back against the bed, lying there with the blanket under his head. The mattress and sheets were still warm and he resisted seeming like a creeper by lying over the bed again and sniffing at the sheets. That’d just seem too weird for a one-night stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the morning cuddle stuff. Too adorable. Especially when it's Stucky. Or any variation of Stucky.


	5. Chapter 5

Bucky silently climbed the ladder to the top, keeping his metal arm from touching it because it’d make noise and he tried to be as quiet as possible before reaching the top. He turned to sit on it, planting his ass on the top step and slipped his legs over the edge of the boat on the inside. He waited a few stretched out seconds, watching him messing with something under the panel in the centre of the boat.

“Hey, Sailor,” he called softly and lamely, internally kicking himself for the stupid greeting. He saw Frank pause to look over at him, watching him before giving him a nod and then returning to his business. Bucky watched him in return as he stepped off of the ladder and quietly strode over to the long bench at the back of the boat, only a few feet from where Frank was working.

“I don’t know which mistake is worse. Designing a water pump that leaks or putting it somewhere no human being can reach,” Bucky listened intently, watching him as he fussed around with it, hearing a few things being shifted and then saw him pull back, the device in his hand. “How d’you design something you know is gonna fail,” Bucky saw the thing in his hand, watching him stare at it and from his words, and the way it was said, it made him feel like Frank was talking about something else, another subject from the piece of metal in his hand. “Gotta be devious or clueless, right?” he didn’t look up at him and Bucky was concerned, he didn’t show it on his face, but he was. Frank didn’t look at him, even after putting the thing down and reaching out for a tool before ducking back under the panel, his head and shoulder visible.

“After the first few weeks, I knew I had to find a real family for her. I was in way over my head,” he let him talk, just watching him and listening as he worked and talked. He didn’t interrupt, not wanting to. It felt right to leave him vent. “And every day I’d say  _ today’s the day, I’m taking her to child services. _ And every day, she’d do something just… so unbelievably cool,” his silence paid off because Frank had a nostalgic smile on his face, small and soft and Bucky could see that he was imagining something, a few memories maybe. “Her little personality was exploding,” Bucky let a smile cross his own lips, seeing the man’s atmosphere lighten while talking about her. 

“She was funny,” and then he saw a pause, Frank’s smile lessening some and Bucky’s dropped with him, still watching him carefully while he talked. “And she was angry, and she was happy and she was…” another pause, but he saw him falter a little, his hands stopping their movement for a split second before continuing with the repairs. “Sad. And… was cute,” Just so damn entertaining. And so I kept her,”

“Not that that was in her best interest. Not that I’m capable of raising a child. A child that might still have a mother if I’d taken the time to notice that she needed me,” Bucky could see that he was slowly starting to get riled up, his movements and tone a little sharper than before and seeming to increase in sharpness as he continued. He stood up, dropping the tool aside and stood completely. 

“And now, six and a half years later. I finally got her to the foster family, and you know what?” Frank drew a towel from atop the cupboard beside him, wiping at his hands and he was still getting riled. “It was great. She loved it,” Bucky could see that he was avoiding eye contact or any kind of contact in general as he tossed the towel aside and climbed out of the panel hole. “I thought it would be a nightmare of abandonment and betrayal, but turns out it was a huge success,” there was a momentary silence before Frank reached down, grabbing the thing that had been the issue with the motor and threw it full force from where he stood. “I’m a fuckin’ hero!”

He said nothing, Bucky sitting there with his lips sealed as he watched him. A few seconds and then he heard the crashing and breaking of the metal thing hitting something in the distance, another boat probably. 

The ex-soldier was still there as Frank turned and headed for the ladder, but as soon as he reached it, Bucky stood and quickly headed over, stepping between him and the metal staircase.

“Frank-,” Bucky called when he stopped the other man. He wanted to actually get a say in this and maybe show him that he was there for him through this. He wanted to help and he knew that it was what Frank needed. It may not be what he’d want, but it was something necessary.

“Buck, no-,” Frank tried sidestepping him, but Bucky sidestepped with him, unfazed by the frown that was immediately sent his way. The ex-soldier returned it and stayed there, his hand reaching out ahead of him to press his palm against Frank’s chest, the few inches between them now gone.

“Frank,” he repeated, his tone harder and his expression he gave Frank showed that he didn’t want refusal or any kind of protest. And thankfully, there was none. He stepped the few inches closer and laced both arms around his waist, leaning in against him and resting his head against the other man’s shoulder. He felt Frank stiffen, but only a few seconds of this and he just huffed, big arms circling Bucky and relaxing against him in return. He felt the bigger man’s chin and cheek against his head and they just stood there for a few long seconds that he was sure turned into minutes.

“Buck,” at his name being called a handful of minutes later, he lifted his head and stared up at him, seeing that he was trying to hide his features so that he couldn’t be read. Bucky could still see something there, like a sadness entangled with an urge to continue hugging. Like he was reluctant to show that he wanted to keep the embrace going. “I appreciate everything you’ve done… just-,” Frank didn’t finish his sentence and Bucky knew what he’d meant. 

He gave a curt nod and reluctantly pulled back from the hug, though kept his hand on him until he was out of his way, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze before Frank took a breath, eyeing him and then climbing up onto the ladder to climb down.

Bucky watched him, turning so that he could see him as he walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was sad to write, but I had to get it done. Can't wait to get back into the happy stuff.


	6. Chapter 6

The girls were insane, Bucky was convinced of that and nothing would make him think otherwise. As soon as they started gathering in the park where they were having their girl scout meeting, they all gathered in the jungle gym area and just started running amuck. He was smiling, watching them all with Stark having issues with keeping up with a few of them that were sprinting around. He laughed some and shook his head, his hair not getting in his face as his whole head shifted because it was held up in a lazy bun.

Bucky perked up at the sound of an engine and glanced over his shoulder, seeing the old, dark blue pickup pulling into the side of the road and he could see Frank on the driver's side, his lips moving and then the other side door opened, closing straight after and then he could see Mary dashing around the front and towards them.

He gave a grin and crouched as he saw that she was running straight for him and managed to easily catch her before she face-planted him. She was grinning and panting a little, her bag in her hand.

“G’mornin’,” Bucky greeted happily, seeing her smile widen and she laced her arms around him for a moment, completely surprising him and he hesitantly hugged her back. They lingered there like that and took a quick glance at the pickup, seeing the questioning gaze being sent their way by Frank, a brow quirked.

“Thank you for making Frank happy,” Mary said before pulling back, her hands still on Bucky’s shoulders. He stared at her in thought and nodded at her.

“You’re very welcome,” she was still watching him, staring at him like she was thinking and from the corner of his eye, he could see that the truck was still there and that Frank was still watching them.

“Do you love Frank?” it didn’t exactly sound like a question, more of a statement or an order to answer and his eyes shot wide open and he just-... he-... Bucky really hadn’t expected that, at all, but that was the only thing that didn’t surprise him. Her regular way of making him speechless and the unexpected things she’d come out with. 

“I-...” Bucky silenced himself, lowering his gaze to the side in thought. He wasn’t sure on whether he should answer, but… it was Frank. And he… did. “I… do. I guess I do love him,” he immediately smiled and saw her face spread into the biggest smile he’d seen yet. Her hands left his shoulders, the bag dropping and she twirled around, her hands around her mouth like a cone.

“FRANK! MR BARNES SAYS HE LOVES YOU!”  _ Oh my god! _ He shouldn’t have said anything! Bucky stared in utter disbelief and then stared towards the truck where it looked like Frank was actually dying in his seat. His head was against the wheel, a hand over his mouth and he was shaking like he was laughing.

Bucky had to drop his gaze and look away, his head shaking as he felt the heat rise to his face. He could pinpoint the moment that Mary turned and dashed off to play and he stood up, grabbing her bag and keeping a safe hold on it, avoiding looking anywhere but the truck. Though it was hard. He kept taking glances, and one time he looked, he saw that Frank was staring at him from the pickup, a wide grin on his face and they just… stared at each other, a smile growing on Bucky’s face as well.

After a few seconds, he saw Frank’s hand raise to his head, gesturing to the back of his head and bucky lifted his own wondering what he was gesturing to and then felt the bun at the lower part of his head. The hair again. Frank liked his hair when it was loose. He bit at the inside of his lip and gripped the band that held his hair up, pulling it from his thick locks and he let it fall in waves, framing his face and he turned to look again, seeing Frank nodding and the smile tug further at one side of his face, the smile turning into a wide smirk.

Bucky crossed his arms and snorted lightly when he saw the wink Frank sent him before pulling out of the space and heading down the street. That man was going to be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND we've come to an end. I really loved writing all of this and I adore the movie, even more so now that I wrote this.
> 
> Thank you, [Jensen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jensen_Rogers), for suggesting I watch it. I absolutely adore you and am glad that I decided to write this for you. I love you for bringing out my Universal EvanStan side.


End file.
